Vallejo

[David Lovell]

Doing good ain't I.................:hugging-face:

[Bri62]

Thanks for all your input, I can't change paint now as I have started painting and masking off the wooden deck to change paints would be a nightmare.

[Bri62]

AK 3rd gen instead . No tip drying .

Think I'm switching cheers John

[The Smythe Meister]

Dave.....DAVE..... DAVE !!!!! :tears-of-joy::tears-of-joy::tears-of-joy:

[JayCee]

I have used Vallejo exclusively for about 10 years now. Both Colour and Air. I have sprayed both, just thinned with tap water. I have never really had problems with tip drying but could just be lucky. I tend to spray only in the cooler months ( when the temp is 25-30 degrees) Summers definitely don't lend themselves to spray work. As I said, I am probably just lucky.
John.

[Tim Marlow]

I know I haven't been doing this very long. But!! I always found getting the thinning thing a bit of a nightmare. Now I mix enough thinning agent with colour using a brush to mix the paint. When the mix drips from the brush I deem the mix ready. It's not a hard fast X drops of this and x drops of that. So far my unscientific method seems to be working for me. I keep the pressure low(ish) 15-20 psi.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner……..right there is the secret to successful airbrushing. Keep trying until it works FOR YOU.

Whatever others do is just your starting point. You will gradually modify that advice (more thinner, more or less paint, a drop of flow aid, different pressure, whatever) until the airbrush works the way you want it to.

Airbrushing is a strange beast. Eventually, through trial and error, almost everyone gets it to work with whatever paint and thinner they’ve settled on. The weird thing is that almost everyone’s technique varies from everybody else’s, but they all end up with good results. I bet that (god forbid) we were all lined up side by side, every one of us would have their own unique way of preparing paint and spraying a model…..and all the models would come out fine.

[PaulinKendal]

As Tim says, you need to experiment and practise, to find what works for you. (I'd start at 50/50 dilution, use airbrush thinner not tapwater, and go from there.)

Unlike Tim, I airbrush acrylics (despite the challenges). I was spraying Vallejo Black primer just yesterday, despite the weather. And no, the airbrush didn't clog, but I was using extra dilution and multiple passes to avoid clogging.

And I'd strongly recommend you develop an efficient routine for cleaning your airbrush - without that, your experiments which don't work (that'll be most of them to begin with, I'm afraid) will be even more frustrating as you struggle to clean up and restart.

[Tim Marlow]

As Tim says, you need to experiment and practise, to find what works for you. (I'd start at 50/50 dilution, use airbrush thinner not tapwater, and go from there.)

Unlike Tim, I airbrush acrylics (despite the challenges). I was spraying Vallejo Black primer just yesterday, despite the weather. And no, the airbrush didn't clog, but I was using extra dilution and multiple passes to avoid clogging.

And I'd strongly recommend you develop an efficient routine for cleaning your airbrush - without that, your experiments which don't work (that'll be most of them to begin with, I'm afraid) will be even more frustrating as you struggle to clean up and restart.

Actually Paul, most of my recent little blokes have been primed with Vallejo black. I dilute it about fifty fifty and add a drop of flow aid. I have a large bottle that needs using up LOL……don’t know how I’ll use up the red oxide though…..
It actually sprays pretty well and settles nice and smooth. The reason I don’t use it on larger models is because it doesn’t sand well, so doesn’t allow remedial sanding repairs to be made to rough areas.

[colin m]

That's why I am changing over to MRP paints :thumb2:

A move you won't regret.

[PaulinKendal]

Actually Paul, most of my recent little blokes have been primed with Vallejo black. I dilute it about fifty fifty and add a drop of flow aid. I have a large bottle that needs using up LOL……don’t know how I’ll use up the red oxide though…..
It actually sprays pretty well and settles nice and smooth. The reason I don’t use it on larger models is because it doesn’t sand well, so doesn’t allow remedial sanding repairs to be made to rough areas.

Ah yes, sanding vallejo acrylic primer (shudder).

[Scratchbuilder]

Why you would jump through hoops, adding retarders, flow improvers, etc., to a product when there are others that will spray straight from the bottle with none of these issues?

Asking for a friend (not really).

I second Jim, got tired of the mix this and mix that dance, change this needle for that needle, this presure for that presure, to psi or not to psi. So from now on I am back to lacquer paints S M S, MRP, Tamiya etc and one bottle of thinner serves all Mr Hobby. I only use acrylic now for brush painting. Hard decision to make but just gor tired of spending more time mixing, clogging, cleaning, mixing, clogging, splatter etc etc.

[stona]

No paint sprays that well straight out of the pot in my experience, all need more thinner.

I've recently been using MRP's acrylic lacquers and they do spray flawlessly straight out of the bottle every time.

It took a lot to get me away from spraying enamels, which also spray flawlessly with proper thinning, but these lacquers have done it. I've not had an enamel clog the brush, dry at the tip, etc. in so long I can't remember, so that was never an issue, it's just the convenience of spraying out of the bottle (and the fast drying time). When I tried to change to acrylics some years ago I found myself in a constant battle just to get the things to spray at all, never mind achieve a good finish. I tried several brands.

I still brush paint and occasionally spray enamels when I need to, but I'm gradually building up a store of MRP.

[Scratchbuilder]

I've recently been using MRP's acrylic lacquers and they do spray flawlessly straight out of the bottle every time.

It took a lot to get me away from spraying enamels, which also spray flawlessly with proper thinning, but these lacquers have done it. I've not had an enamel clog the brush, dry at the tip, etc. in so long I can't remember, so that was never an issue, it's just the convenience of spraying out of the bottle (and the fast drying time). When I tried to change to acrylics some years ago I found myself in a constant battle just to get the things to spray at all, never mind achieve a good finish. I tried several brands.

I still brush paint and occasionally spray enamels when I need to, but I'm gradually building up a store of MRP.

True, spent more time on cleanup that spraying.

[Tim Marlow]

I've recently been using MRP's acrylic lacquers and they do spray flawlessly straight out of the bottle every time.

It took a lot to get me away from spraying enamels, which also spray flawlessly with proper thinning, but these lacquers have done it. I've not had an enamel clog the brush, dry at the tip, etc. in so long I can't remember, so that was never an issue, it's just the convenience of spraying out of the bottle (and the fast drying time). When I tried to change to acrylics some years ago I found myself in a constant battle just to get the things to spray at all, never mind achieve a good finish. I tried several brands.

I still brush paint and occasionally spray enamels when I need to, but I'm gradually building up a store of MRP.

Pretty much the same journey as me Steve. I initially used enamels thinned with Phoenix precision quick air drying thinners (catchy name or what :tongue-out3 They sprayed very well, but the smell was quite obnoxious. Went to the new kid on the block, acrylics, and just couldn’t get on with them. I then tried Tamiya, initially with their own thinner, which was OK, then changed to MLT, and found them excellent. I now use Tamiya, Mr Color, and SMS pretty much interchangeably for spraying, and acrylics (mostly Vallejo) for detail work and figures. .

Not used MRP, but SMS are pretty close out of the bottle as well. It’s just that as they age they thicken up from solvent evaporation. I usually thin paints because I go for several thin coats over one or two thick coats, using the airbrush more as a brush than a spray gun. I find this allows things like pre shading to show through. Never had a tip dry or needle clog from lacquer paints and Mr Color levelling thinner since I changed to them, by the way. Need good PPE though.

[Jim R]

Need good PPE though.

That's why I invested in the better, bigger spray booth.
I was a mug when it came to paint. Every new paint, whether acrylic, enamel or lacquer, I thought "I'll try that". Spent too much and ended up with more thinners, additives etc than was manageable. Then I saw the great results that Barry got and how he raved about MRP paints. Via a few pms he gave me loads of tips and advice. OK it will be a gradual change over but for every new build I will buy MRP for the main colours and use Vallejo Model Color for brush painting.